A building materials developer has opened a factory in Sheffield, where it will make sustainable bricks and brick slips for UK construction projects.

earth4Earth, which was founded in the city in 2023, will mix and compress the materials at its new site on Farfield Road in Neepsend.

The soil used to make the earth-based bricks and slips will also be sourced from UK building projects, where excavated soil would otherwise be sent to landfill.

The company previously had a laboratory and office at Sheffield Technology Parks, on Arundel Street.

It was from here that the team developed the technology and formula for their unique materials, which were based on research first conducted at the University of Sheffield.

The bricks and brick slips are made from soil, sand and earth4Earth’s unique lime-based binder, which enhances their strength and durability.

Whereas lime is traditionally produced at 900°C, earth4Earth has developed a process that takes place at room temperature.

The lime also absorbs carbon dioxide directly from the air and stores it permanently, even after the material is recycled. The bricks and slips are fully recyclable as they can be crushed and made into new bricks or returned to the earth for crop growth.

As a result of the decarbonisation of the production process, and the direct capture of carbon dioxide, the bricks and brick slips are carbon negative across their life cycle. This means that they absorb more carbon dioxide than they emit from the moment they are produced to when they are recycled, which is the entire life cycle of the material.

They offer performance that matches or exceeds that of traditional clay-fired bricks and slips, and they can be used in exactly the same way.

The company also has a factory in Wuhan, China, where 300,000 bricks can be produced each month.

The factory at Neepsend will make brick slips and sample bricks. This is the first stage of a plan to scale up UK production and open a second factory that has the same capacity as the one in China in 2027. This second factory will employ around 20 new team members and provide materials to the whole of the UK and Europe, whilst the factory in China will remain open and provide materials to Asia.

Lei Zhang, Founder and Director of earth4Earth, said: “Our materials are carbon negative, even when transportation is taken into account, but we want to reduce our carbon footprint even further, wherever we can.

“We have found Sheffield to be a very supportive place to have a start-up, and we are thrilled to be opening our first UK factory in the city. There is such a friendly and welcoming business community, and we have made so many invaluable connections here. We are looking forward to continuing our journey in the city.”

earth4Earth’s bricks and brick slips have already been used in a range of projects in Sheffield, Manchester, London and China. They have UKCA and CE certification and further certification from the British Board of Agrément (BBA) is expected in the Autumn.

For more information, visit earth4Earth.co.uk